“What do you mean?” Maya says feeling uncomfortable with the situation now.

“He won’t let Sophie leave either. That’s why he locked us down here, he doesn’t want any of us to go.”

Realizing they are going to have to find a different way out, they go back downstairs to re-think their plan. “What if you used your spellsword magic to blow the door off?” Maya turned to Emma to ask.

“I did think of that first but honestly that could backfire. Even though magic from this sword is destructive enough to do so, I don’t know how well this house could handle that kind of force. Either the door would blow off and we could easily escape, or the house could collapse. This wood is pretty brittle now, we can be sure that it would re-ignite the house so if it were to collapse the fire would end up taking us out, assuming we survive the house falling on us.” Emma says defeated.

“Hmm, we will just have to think about another idea.” Looking over at the little girl, who is still very scared, Maya crouches down to her height, “Sorry for not introducing ourselves, my name is Maya, and this is my friend Emma.” She smiles putting on a calming tone, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Isabella, but daddy and his friends always call me Bella.”

“Well Bella, we are going to get you out of here ok. So don’t worry while we think of a plan.” Standing back up, looking around it’s obvious to see the only way out is through the door, the only light they have is from the basement ceiling that is cracked and has many uneven spaces between the wood planks.

While both Maya and Emma were thinking up a plan, a few minutes pass before Sophie just appears in front of everyone. “Sophie!” Bella says before running towards her to give her a hug but passes right through her.

“You all need to leave now! He’s planning on killing all of you!” Sophie exclaims to all of them.

“Who is he?” Maya asks, while Emma is looking around to see who everyone is talking to.

"The bad man... he killed my entire family," Sophie began, her voice trembling. "A long time ago, I woke up hearing something break. Mommy and Daddy told me to stay in my room as they went to check on it, so I hid under the bed. Then I heard fighting from outside my room, and everything went silent. I was so scared I couldn't move from under the bed. Later, the door to my bedroom opened, but it was so dark I couldn't see who it was, only their feet. Before I knew it, I was dragged out and tied up with my mom and dad. The bad man tied us all up before setting the house on fire. The last thing I remember seeing was him tripping while trying to leave the house and falling really hard. Ever since then, the bad man has been playing tricks on me and hasn't let me leave this house. I haven't seen my parents since that night. Then the other day, I was suddenly able to leave, so I thought the bad man finally left, and that's when I met Bella. But I was wrong," Sophie said softly, her eyes filled with sorrow.

~ Looks like we don’t have a lot of time, I guess you’re getting a crash course on exorcising the evil spirit from this house ~

“Wait I can do that?!” Maya says, now with everyone looking at her as she is talking to herself.

~ Yes, as a Witch not only can you see spirits, but you can help them pass on to their next life. With lost spirits or bound spirits, it can be easy, just help them find their way or remove what has bound them. When it comes to evil spirits you must remove them by force, destroying the very spirit itself. It will be removed from this world and the next, which is why it’s typically only used in situations such as this. ~

“Ok, but how?”

~ We will be using your new sword today for this. Grab the spell book from me and we can start the spell ~

Maya pulls off Enit from her head and pulls out the spell book. She opens the book up and puts her hand over the pages, focusing on how to rid evil spirits. As she focuses, the book begins to flip through the pages before it stops on a page that says, “Exorcise a spirit”.

“Found it!” Maya says before continuing to read, “Please be sure the spirit you are exorcising or banishing cannot pass on by normal means, continuing this will destroy the spirit and it will never go to an afterlife. To exorcise or banish a spirit with a ritual….no” Maya begins to skim until, “To exorcise or banish a spirit with a weapon, use Honeysuckle sap and coat the edge of the weapon you are choosing to use.”

A sudden surge of heat radiated from the corner of the room, and concentrated fire began to flicker to life. It seemed strangely contained, not spreading to consume the rest of the room, but its presence was undeniably ominous. Panic filled the air, and Sophie's eyes welled up with tears as she exclaimed, "Oh no, he's here!" With a sense of dread hanging over them, Maya and Emma exchanged worried glances, ready to confront the threat.

The flames in the corner suddenly split into two, their fiery dance forming a grotesque gateway from hell. From this hellish portal emerged a figure, a man whose appearance mirrored Bella's description: a ghastly burn scar marred his face, his hair was patchy and disheveled, and his clothes hung in tatters, charred and torn. With a raspy, menacing tone that sent shivers down their spines, the man growled, "None of you will leave. I will kill you all, and then force you to be stuck with me in this house for all eternity." His voice echoed with a sinister resonance as a wicked chuckle escaped his cracked lips. "I knew that letting you outside the house would draw strangers in. It gets so terribly boring when you have no one to burn. Watching people burn alive is the best feeling but since I’m stuck in this forsaken house it’s been rather difficult to find new prey. Here within these walls however, I have power, I can burn whomever I like, as fast or slow as I feel and never be hurt. What more could I ask for?!" His words sent a chill through the room, and the realization that they were now confronting an entity with power left them in a state of dread.

“Holy shit!” Emma says, “What the hell is going on?”

“Wait, you can see him?” Maya says confused because she couldn’t see Sophie.

~ I can explain this later, right now there is no time. You need to him immediately. ~

Maya pulls Enit off once again to pull out her bag of herbs. Going through them, she finally comes across the vial labeled Honeysuckle sap and throws everything but the vial back in Enit. Maya draws her sword and dips her finger and thumb into the vial and wipes the sap down the edge of the blade. Maya then holds her blade out in front of her, focusing on the spell.

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Emma turned her gaze back to Maya. She sees Maya's intense focus, her eyes tightly shut as she began to recite an incantation. Meanwhile, the sinister figure was gradually advancing toward them, his movements exuding a palpable malevolence. Without hesitation, Emma swiftly drew her sword, determination etched onto her face, and she charged the man with a swift and sure-footed approach. Her blade, however, passed through him not even causing a ripple in his image. The man let out a chilling chuckle, his voice dripping with maleficent glee. "Do you truly believe I can be killed? I'm already dead, you fool!" he taunted, his words laced with dark amusement. Then, with his hand he waved it as if to slap Emma, but it was slow and not even close to touching her. An unearthly force followed suit as he sent Emma hurtling through the air, crashing into the wall with a brutal impact.

Maya, feeling the urgency of the situation, raised her voice with unwavering determination. "With nature staining my blade, blessed with the powers of protection and banishment, I beseech my blade to thwart the unnatural, to safeguard those in harm's way!" As her incantation filled the room, Maya's sword began to radiate with a vibrant, ethereal glow, the blade's edge shimmering with newfound power. She looked up, her eyes resolute, only to see Emma knocked aside and pinned against the wall. Anger surged within her, and with a resolute stride, she advanced toward the sinister man. The man's attention shifted to Maya, his malevolent chuckles giving way to a sinister calmness.

“Did you not just see what I did to your friend?! She just tried the same thing; how can you fools not understand there is absolutely nothing you can do to me. In this house I am almighty, I am powerful, I am invisible. Are you truly this stupid?” Laughing hysterically now, “You are still an entertaining fool, come at me then, so I can watch your face of despair when you fail and then I will have my fun with you and your friend.”

Without missing a beat, Maya honed her focus, her breathing steady in her determination. She charged at the hell spawn of a man, the sword held firmly in her grasp akin to a baseball bat poised for a powerful swing. As she closed the distance, she executed her strike with unwavering precision, slashing the sword through his very core. For a heartbeat, an eerie silence engulfed the room. A brilliant line of light emanated from the point of impact, slicing through the spectral figure. The hellish fire that once raged behind him vanished. The line of light fractured and splintered, racing across his ethereal form. Stammering in disbelief, the man muttered, "I… I don't understand. I'm already dead. You can't hurt me." The web of cracks extended relentlessly, spreading across his entire being. In a shocking twist of fate, he crumbled into countless pieces. Yet, before the macabre fragments could even touch the ground, they dissolved into the ether, vanishing like raindrops on a hot summer day. Maya, her sword still in hand, lowered it slowly and returned it to its sheath. A rush of relief as she stared at the spot where the malevolent spirit once stood. Then, without hesitation, she rushed to Emma's side.

“Hey, are you alright?” Maya says worriedly to Emma.

Wincing “Yeah, I’m fine. Though I may be sore tomorrow” as Maya helps her stand back up. “I guess we’re even on saving each other’s lives.” Trying to laugh but still in pain from being slammed into a wall.

Maya turns around to see Bella and Sophie standing together, with a worried look. “It’s ok, the bad guy is gone. We can leave now.” They all begin to walk up the stairs to the door. With no problems this time, the door opens. They all head outside, Sophie stopping immediately after walking through the door.

“Thank you for helping me, I can finally see my parents again.” As she takes a step forward and begins to fade away. In the distance, it sounds like she says “Mom, Dad!”

“Where did Sophie go?” Bella says looking up at Maya.

“She went back home with her mom and dad, just like we need to get you to your dad. Want to take us to him?” Maya says back to Bella.

Bella nods and leads the way back to the main road. Once on the road, she turns and begins to walk towards the docks. “My daddy is down there!” as she points towards the ships.

“Oh, is your dad a fisherman?” Emma asks her.

“I don’t know, he’s always on the boat and sometimes fishes but I think he just does that for fun.”

As they proceeded towards the ocean, the sounds of the bustling docks grew louder. It was a while before they reached the water's edge, and the scene that greeted them was one of chaos. Small stands were set up with fishmongers hawking their catch, sailors hustling as they either loaded or unloaded cargo, and dense crowds of people going about their maritime business. Feeling a sudden sense of protectiveness, Maya reached down and gently took Bella's hand, not wanting to lose her in the sea of people. She turned to the little girl and asked, "Do you see your dad's ship? Can you show us which one it is?"

“That one!” Bella points out to one of the largest and nicest looking ships docked.

“Wow that’s a really big ship.” Maya replies.

As they approach, they notice that the ship's crew isn't engaged in unloading or loading activities; instead, most of the sailors appear to be searching for something. Suddenly, a voice from the ship exclaims, "I found her!" They spot a sailor who points directly at Bella. A burly, bald man leaps off the ship and sprints in their direction. "Daddy!" Bella cries out before breaking away and running straight into his arms.

He picks her up into the air, “You had me worried sick. Where did you run off too?” the man says to his daughter.

“I went to go play with Sophie and then a bad man trapped me in a house and then they came and rescued me.” Bella says while pointing at Emma and Maya.

“Oh really? Well go onto the ship, and let me talk to the nice folks who rescued you, m’kay?” He says as he puts her down and she runs onto the ship. He begins to walk towards Emma and Maya, realizing he’s normal height but with his broad shoulders and buff physique a normal person would still feel small in his presence. He had a short beard and brown eyes. "So, my daughter says you two rescued her from a bad man, would you mind telling me what happened?" His tone carried a hint of skepticism, as if he found it hard to believe his daughter's account.

"We're not entirely sure how she ended up at the ruined house, but she was locked in the basement when we found her," Maya explained, choosing her words carefully. "Her friend Sophie, guided us to the house to help her escape. However, it turned out that the house had an entity attached to it, and in order to leave, we had to deal with that entity. So, we took care of it, and then we walked Bella back here."

He scrutinized them both, his gaze shifting from Maya to Emma and back to Maya again. "So, you're telling me that the two of you took down an 'entity'?" he inquired, sounding less than impressed.

"Actually," Emma interjected, attempting to clarify, "Maya dealt with the entity herself."

He paused, clearly unconvinced. "Uh-huh. I can usually spot a liar, and you both seem sincere," he mused, scratching the back of his head. "But I must admit, I find it hard to believe that two young girls could accomplish something like that."

“We are with the adventurer’s guild…” Maya inputs thinking that could explain it away.

“Adventurers guild you say...?” Another pause as he rubs his beard. “I’ll bite, I’m still having a hard time buying what you said but if you’re as strong as you’re telling me then I have a job for you two. I have to leave town in a week to go to the capital, so I was already planning on putting a contract with the guild to hire on some guild members in case any issues arise on the sea. Most of my men are great at labor, fishing, and sailing a boat but very few are good with a sword; on top of that you seem to already get along with my daughter so that’s one less issue.”

“You know you’d still have to make that contract with the guild to hire us, so we can get credit within the guild for our work.” Emma says to him.

“I know, if we go together I can just agree there on the spot and it’s all done and over. I won’t have to wait or interview other adventurers which gives me more time with my crew and daughter.”

Maya and Emma look at each other unsure whether to take him up on his offer or not.

“To let you know in advance, this job will pay well. I know this is probably a lot to process, so I’ll tell you what, come back tomorrow before noon and give me your answer. Me and my crew have pushed off work long enough and now it’s time for catch up work.” He looks back to the ship before looking at them again, “And thank you for bringing my daughter back to me” he says sincerely with a smile before waving to them and going back onto the ship.